Possible gas explosion badly damages SF home, victim hospitalized
The San Francisco Fire Department rescued a victim from a severe explosion at a Richmond neighborhood home Friday morning. While details are still under investigation, the fire department is looking at a propane appliance as the possible culprit.
According to SFPD Capt. Jonathan Baxter, firefighters responded around 9:30 a.m. to find a single-family home with “signs indicative of an explosion.” However, the fire department stressed that this was an “isolated incident” and that there is “no threat to the general public.”
The home is located on the 600 block of 26th Avenue, about three blocks north of Golden Gate Park.
“There is a propane home appliance that is being looked at as one of the possible causes, but this is still under investigation,” Baxter said in a phone call with SFGATE.
One adult victim was rescued from the home and taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. Three other people were treated at the scene but did not need to be taken to the hospital. While no person suffered major injury from the explosion, the same could not be said for the home.
San Francisco Fire Department
“There’s extensive damage. There are windows blown out and garage doors blown out. There’s damage to the walls, so definitely a good percussion explosion, which could be from a propane bottle,” Baxter said.
The explosion should be a warning for homeowners with potentially dangerous appliances to always be extra careful.
“It’s a good reminder to follow manufacturers’ recommendations for storage in a residential home. Be very cognitive of your appliances as well, making sure they’re always turned off and there’s no open flame sources. Don’t leave open flames unattended,” Baxter said.
The San Francisco fire investigation task force will continue to monitor the situation, which is typical protocol for an incident like this.
Source: SFGATE
